Cooling-medium container



C. W. HACK COOLING MEDIUM CONTAINER Filed July 5, 1924 March 8 27.

INVENTOR I l1. W

A Time/v; Y

t Mar/ea Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

cnnatns w. HACK, or 'rornxn, KANSAS.

I COOLING-MEDIUM conrnrnnn.

Application filed July 5,

This invention relates to refrigeration and the primary object'thereofis to provide a cooling box for refrigerators in which there is acooling medium, preferably brine and in which is submerged or partiallysubmerged a passageway, spaced above the bottom of the box a suflicientdistance to maintain a cooling medium in the upper portion of the box ata temperature lower than that in the bottom of the box to cause acirculation of the cooling medium in the box due to the differencein'temperatures at the top and bottom of the box. Cooling boxes aresometimes designated brine tanks but in this aplication I shall refer tothe same as'a coolmg box because mediums other than brjne may be usedand while the element in the brine tank for passing active refrigerantthrough the brine is usually termed the ex.- pansion coil, I shall referto the expansion element as the passa eway because it may or may nottake the f Indeed the construction of the means for confining therefrigerant as it passes through the coohng box is not hereinillustrated as of coil form, but obviously a coil-may be employed forcarrying outthe generic embodimentof. my invention.

Broadly the invention contemplates means for maintaining the upperportion of the coolingv box at a temperature below that in the bottom ofthe box'so as to maintain a circulationof the cooling medium in the boxand thereby facilitate the refrigerating action. of the refrigerant andspecifically the invention contemplates means whereby the compressor maynot pull liquid refrigerant from the passageway, the refrigerant beingmaintained in the passageway until it is vaporized. Therefore therefrigerant must complete its work before: it may pass on to thecompressor. I also am enabled to construct the cooling box so thatcertain part1- tions used for providing circulatm passage ways or ductsfor the cooling me ium may be utilized for compartments capable ofreceiving food and the like and capable of serving as freezingcompartments for transformingwater into ice for freezing find dings,sherbets, ices and the like. The vari-' ous novel features of thisinvention aswell;

' as the advantages will be apparent by reference to the followingdescription 1n conne c= tion with the accompanying draw ngs, 1n

" which- Fig. 1 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional orm of a coil.,

1924. Serial No. 724,213.

view through a coolingbox constructed in accordance with my invention,and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal, sectional view .through the box wall, thepassageway for the active refrigerant being shown in plane with partsbeing broken away to illustrate the conducting ribs.

- Referring now: to the drawings by numerals of reference v i 1designates the cooling medium container or outside casing of the boxprovided in receptacles 2 and 3 are in parallel and spaced apart toprovide an elongated circul-ating' space 11, the bottoms of thereceptacles also being .spacedfrom the bottom of the receptacle l'toprovide a lower passageway"'12. The receptacles '2 and 3 may containshelves or pans to receive food, ices and the like and one or more ofthe pans may be provided with compartments to form blocks ofice as willbe well understood. The top walls of the receptacles 2 and 3 are in aplane, a considerable distance below the top of the receptacle or casing1 to provide a space for thepassageway or .conduit 13. The conduit. 13is shown as comprising a substantially rectangular ho1-.

low body with an opening 14 therein and it has an inlet 15 and an outlet16, the inlets and outlets being preferably diametrically opposite oneanother and the inlets and outlets consist oftubular members 17 and 18having collars 19 and 20' to abut against the top of the container 1preferably with washers or gaskets surrounding the openings throughwhich the protruding ends 21 and 22 of the threaded neck-like portions'project. The threaded neck-like portions "receive Jam nuts 23 and 24 tosecure tubular members to the top of the .box and-the necks areinternally threaded to receive the inlet pipe 25 and the outlet pie2641s will. ig. 1. The

be clearly seen by reference to conduit 13 is substantially ring-shapedand it is provided with radial surrounding con- -,ducting flanges orribs 27 in linewith internal radial conducting flanges 28 which extendentirely around the inner walls of the member 13, as will be clearlyapparent by reference to Figs. 1 and 2. The refrigerant is introducedthrough the expansion valve into the member 13 through pi e and itslevel is preferably maintained elow the top of the member 13. Thecooling medium 29, preferably liquid, within the casing 1 will tend toboil the refrigerant inthe passageway or member 13, the heat beingconducted through the medium of the ribs 27 and 28. As the liquidrefrigerant begins to boil, it will carry ofi the heat from the coolingmedium 29 in a well understood manner and pass off through pipe 26 tothe compressor in a pressure system or back to the absorber in anabsorption system Since the level of the liquid in the member 13 ismaintained below the outlet. liability of the refrigerant being drawnout of the member 13 in the liquid phase will be eliminated. Thereforethe refrigerant cannot pass out of the member 13 until it has beenconverted into the vapor phase due to the heat exchange between themedium 29 and the refrigerant in member 13. This is important becausethe refrigerant must take up the maximumamount of heat before it.

can pass on through pipe 26. Therefore even if a compressor is used thecompressor cannot exert enough pull to exhaust the refrigerant while inthe liquid phase from the member 13.

It is important. in a device of the class uniform temperature or at asnearly a uni-' herein contemplated that the cooling liquid 29, whateverit may be, be maintained at a form temperature as is practicalthroughout and it is one of the salient features of my invention thatmeans is provided wherebythe entire body or cooling liquid will bemaintained at the -minimum temperature and this is accomplished by thepeculiar arrangement of the various elements of my invention, forexample the ring shaped passageway member 13 is disposed above thereceptacles 2 and 3, the bottom of the flanges -27 resting upon thereceptacles 1 and 2 and the top portions of the flanges 27 preferablybeing spaced below the top of the receptacle 1. Therefore when the heatis absorbed from the cooling medium 29 during the vaporization of therefrigerant in the member 13. the cooling medium in the middle portionof the member 13 is. colder than at any other point in the casing 1,therefore it will tend to drop to the bottom of the casing 1 asindicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 and as it passes down through thespace 11 to the space 12, the warmer medium 29 will pass up throughpassageways 4, 5 and 6 over the top of the member 13 and come intoproximity with the absorption ribs 27 so that its heat may be absorbedby the refrigerant, thus the continued cooling of the cooling medium bythe member 13 will cause a continuous circulation of the cooling medium29 and thereby prevent stratification of the liquid in differenttemperatures. In this way the cooling medium 29 will be maintained atsubstantially the same temperature throughout so that the receptacles 2and 3 will be capable of reducing the temperatures of their contents toa minimum and since it is possible to cause a circulation of the medium29 it is obvious that when the system is first caused to function thetemperature of the medium 29 will be reduced to a minimum moreexpeditiously than is possible in constructions in which there is nocirculation of the cooling medium 29.

I have shown but one specific embodiment of the generic principles of myinvention, it being apparent that the changes in form, proportion andminor details of construction may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or sacrificlng any of its advantages.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. In' a device of the character described,

with said first mentioned passageway. and

said compartments and said conduit being spaced a substantial distancefrom the walls of said container to provide a passageway therearound.

2. In a device of the character'described, a container for coolingmedium, a ringhke conduit for active refrigerant mounted in.

the upper portion of said container, said conduit having a verticalcooling medium passageway through the center thereof, and a pair ofcooling compartments below sald conduit, said compartments being spacedto provide a cooling medium circulating passageway in alignment withsaid first mentioned passageway, and said compartments and said conduitbeing spaced a substantial distance from the Walls of said container toprovide a passageway therearound.

3. In a device of the character described, a container for coolingmedium, and a ring like conduit for active refrigerant mounted in theupper 'POItlOIl of said container and spaced a substantial distance fromthe top and sides thereof. said conduit having a central verticalcooling medium opening, and being provided with vertically extendingfins projecting laterally therefromfinto said opening and toward saidside walls.

spaced a substantial distance from the top and sides thereof, saidconduit having a central vertical cooling medium opening, and

being provided with vertically extending fins projecting laterallytherefrom into said opening and toward said side walls, and a pair ofcooling compartments spaced a substantial distance from the bottom andside walls of said container belowsaid ring like conduit and having themajor portions thereof substantially vertically aligned therewith, saidcompartments being spaced to'provide a cooling medium circulatingpassageway in alignment withsaid vertical opening.

5. In a device of the character described, a container for coolingmedium, and a ring like conduit for active refrigerant mounted in theupper portion of said container and spaced a substantial distance fromthe top and sides thereof, said conduit having a central .vertical.cooling medium opening, and being provided with vertically extendingfins projecting laterally therefrom into said opening and toward saidside walls, said conduit having an intake and an outlet connectionextending from the top thereof through the top of said container.

' 6; In a device of the character described, a container forcooling'medium, and a ring like conduit for active refrigerant mountedin the upper portion of saidcontainer and spaced a substantial distancefrom the top and sides thereof, said conduit having a central verticalcooling medium opening, and

being provided with vertically extending fins projecting laterallytherefrom into said opening and toward said side walls, said fins beingarranged to direct the cooling medium toward said central opening as thesame circulates around said conduit.

"In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' CHARLES W. HACK.

